52 Leading Companies Will Work With Startups From Around the World in the Fourth Edition of BIND 4.0

BILBAO, Spain, July 12, 2019 (Newswire.com) - BIND 4.0, the public-private accelerator for Industry 4.0 startups, has opened the call for its fourth edition, where interested startups are encouraged to apply until Sept. 13, 2019, through the program's website, www.bind40.com.

BIND 4.0 was launched in 2016 in the Basque Country as a convergence between innovative worldwide startups, both nationally and internationally, and large companies. BIND 4.0 Acceleration Program is an opportunity to promote the digital transformation of the companies, and in turn, accelerate the consolidation of innovative startups through real projects with reference customers.

The fourth edition of BIND 4.0 is already underway

The fourth edition of BIND 4.0 has already launched and it has grown in size and scope. First of all, the collaborating partner companies have gone from 40 to 52 major industry leaders, such as Ferrovial, EDP, AVIA, SNA Europe and Saralle, among others, which are added to prominent names like Mercedes-Benz, Arcelor, ABB, Iberdrola, Michelin, ITP Aero, CAF, BTI, Quirónsalud and Siemens Gamesa.

The second advancement of this edition is the incorporation of the food tech sector. The growing "Food tech" sector adds to the unique focus areas of the three previous editions of BIND 4.0, which are, advanced manufacturing, energy and health tech.

In addition, notable brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Eroski, Uvesco Group, Angulas Aguinaga, Natra and Okin have been incorporated as partner companies in this newly acquired focus area.

The final development of note is the creation of the Venture Club, a group of investors which aims to reinforce the accelerator's support services and establish contact between participating startups and specialized investment entities, promoting the development of new financing opportunities that accelerate the development of young companies.

BIND 4.0 triples its figures in just 3 years and gets 3.5 million euros of turnover for startups

In its third edition, BIND 4.0 established itself at an international level, as a benchmark for the accelerator of innovative industrial projects. On the one hand, it has increased its main figures, both in the number of participating startups which have gone from 27 to 32, and in the number of projects developed, 44 in the last edition, compared to 40 in the second and 16 in the first. On the other hand, the number of projects presented by startups to access the program has gone up from 385 in 2018 to 524 in 2019, where 75% of them came from 64 countries and 4 continents. The collaborating partner companies have also increased significantly, currently set at 52 in the fourth edition, up from 40 in the third, and 27 in the second edition.

The emerging companies in the third edition executed a total of 44 projects in 33 well-established companies and have developed different solutions in various technological areas, such as big data, virtual and augmented reality, internet of things, additive manufacturing, cyber-physical systems, cybersecurity, medical devices, wearables, and digital health.

Since the first edition, 70 startups have accelerated their business through this program and have developed more than 120 Industry 4.0 projects, which have realized turnover for participating startups of 3.5 million euros. The program, which has gained increasing interest from innovative startup companies, has received a total of more than 1,100 applications since it began. BIND 4.0 is committed to developing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by the digitalization of factories, and has become a benchmark of technological entrepreneurship, which competes worldwide to attract innovation and the best startups.

A commitment to innovative startups

One of the biggest guarantees from BIND 4.0 to innovative startups is that all selected companies will have at least one contract, with an average amount of €50,000, with leading companies in the industry sector and contracts can be as high as €150,000. In addition to the client-customer contracts and the support services offered by the accelerator, different networking activities are carried out with the participating companies and the public to facilitate the immersion of startups in the Basque region industrial ecosystem, one of the most vibrant and growing networks in Europe.

Additionally, BIND 4.0 offers startups mentoring taught by world-class professionals, as well as a complete training program for the development of the skills and abilities necessary to succeed in the industrial field. In the same way, with their participation they have access to different sources of funding and financial aid, as well as free access to a workspace in the BICs (Business and Innovation Centers) and an opportunity to present to the Venture Club of BIND 4.0, a group of Investors specialized in Industry 4.0.

How to participate

Startups can apply to participate until Sept. 13 through the program's website www.bind40.com. BIND 4.0 seeks startups around the world that have products and services based on new technologies with application to the manufacturing, energy, health and food tech sectors. It is also required that they have a product that is already on the market or that is in its last phase of development and can be launched in the collaborating partner companies.

Relevant dates

●      July 5 - Sept. 13, 2019: Accepting applications for startup candidacies

●      Dec. 20, 2019: Communication of the selected startup companies

●      Jan. 17, 2020: Start of acceleration program and projects with partner companies

●      July 3, 2020: The "Demo Day" event, the day of presentation of the results of the 4th edition of BIND 4.0

About BIND 4.0

The BIND 4.0 Accelerator Program is the result of the commitment to develop the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by the digitalization of factories, within the framework of a worldwide competition to attract the best talent and startups to the Basque Country. This objective brings together representatives from the Basque Autonomous Community (Basque Government, SPRI Group, Provincial Councils and the BIC Innovation and Business Centers of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa) and 52 of the main industry corporations based in the region, as well as international leading companies such as Siemens, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, which participate as technological collaborators.

The interest of large Basque companies in startups capable of providing new technological solutions is complemented by the support that BIND 4.0 provides to them in terms of billing, access to the market through prestigious clients, as well as investment possibilities and financing in the initial phase of its development. In this way, two objectives are combined: acceleration of emerging business projects and the drive towards the digital transformation of Basque region established companies.​​

Source: BIND 4.0